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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. key — the most important part
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. drill — army training
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. fall — to drop
  9. press — to push
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. press — a publisher
  12. race — a contest
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fall — to drop
  15. drill — a practice
  16. key — for a lock
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. drill — the tool
  19. race — humankind
  20. key — in music
  21. race — the arms race
  22. press — newspapers
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. patient — a sick person

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com